Between the Panels

Closure in comics can be achieved in several different ways. Scott McCloud categorizes six methods in his book, 'Understanding Comics.' They are: moment-to-moment, action-to-action, subject-to-subject, scene-to-scene, aspect-to-aspect, and non-sequitur. These different methods help control the pacing of the story and how much closure the reader must provide.

The first method listed requires very little closure. It is barely used in Western comic books, making only slight appearances. By far the most popular transition is action-to-action, usually taking up a minimum of 50% of all panel transitions in a single comic book. They require the reader to fill in a bit of information between the panels. Action-to-action transitions can convey the same amount of information as moment-to-moment in far less cells. They make appropriate jumps that the reader can easily follow. Subject-to-subject transitions make slightly bigger jumps while scene-to-scene can either cover very long periods of time or show another scenario happening simultaneously in a different location. Aspect-to-aspect transitions show snippets or varied angles of one scene, such as a party, kitchen, or campground for example. They focus heavily on the environment and are popular in Japanese comics. The last method, non-sequitur, is almost never used. There is absolutely no logical relationship between panels with this transition. The underlying meaning between cells requires a lot of searching.

Sequential art must be looked at as a complete work, with an overriding identity that the reader can understand. The gutter continuously connects the panels and is responsible for the flow of the story just as much as what is depicted in the cells is. It is very important to find the right balance of deciding how much of the story to show. Editing out panels changes the pace as well as the mood.

The arrangement of panels is also crucial as to how the story will read. The author assumes which direction his or her audience reads and bases the placement from there. Sometimes the flow of stacked panels becomes muddled, or the artist intentionally wants an ambiguous interpretation. Closure doesn't have to come mostly from the gutter. It can also be played with by only showing a segment of the whole picture within a cell.